The state's General Assembly will tackle several significant matters when it convenes later this week for the new session, including a slew of gun control proposals filed in the wake of the Newtown shootings and a $1.2 billion budget deficit projected for July 1.
While Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has empowered a new study commission to make recommendations on what the state should do following the Dec. 14 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, several legislators have also filed their own porposals on gun control ahead of the start of the new session.
Some of the proposals include a bill that would make public the names and addresses of anyone in the state who owns a gun and another that would limit access to ammunition, including high-capacity gun magazines. Malloy's commission is expected to file recommendations in mid-March.
Connecticut's pro-gun lobby has already begun gearing up for what is expected to be a major fight in Hartford this winter and spring over gun control measures.
Besides the debate on guns, the legislature must balance the state budget, which some are projecting will see a $1.2 billion deficit by the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. In addition, state lawmakers must pass a new two-year budget this year.